I got to follow Bobby around Washington Square Park’s trees for two hours today.
I had initially looked through the trees for a bit but wasn’t finding the Hawks until I heard two or three Blue Jays yelling up a storm and saw pigeons fleeing a particular batch of trees. I zeroed in and found Bobby.
He must have just swooped into the area. It’s great when the other creatures ‘tell’ each other that a predator is around. It makes for easier Hawking when I’m looking on my own.
He looked around as though he were hunting but was mostly in relaxation mode:
A regular band was playing in his eye line:
I’ve always wondered if the Hawks find any enjoyment from the music that’s often played in the park.
He spent nearly 45 minutes in this tree before hopscotching around to a few others:
He pulled at a thin branch but didn’t snap it off for the nest:
He eventually flew to the trees at the other side of the park.
He perched for another 20 minutes before flying up above the tree line. He flew in tight circles above one tree then landed in a tree top squirrel nest:
A park ranger was in the park and informed me that a squirrel had leapt from the nest, fell to the grass below, then ran up a different tree. It was a lucky albeit clumsy escape.
Bobby stayed in the squirrel nest for 15 minutes. He looked like he was digging around in the nest but he didn’t grab onto any prey.
He then flew up out of the nest then dove like a bullet down into the trees again to rest on a new branch. Luckily this all happened in the same area so I didn’t have to leave my spot and search around for him.
He settled down and started preening:
I had to go so I left him preening on the same branch. It was a great visit. It’s comforting to know that the Hawks are returning to the park more regularly now rather than staying away on their extended summer excursions.